Puppets Up! International Puppet Festival

A few months ago a friend told me about this great festival in Almonte, the Puppets Up! International Puppet Festival. Frankly, I had never heard of the festival, but after my friend described it, I was very intrigued! I found Puppets Up on Google and clicked on what I thought was the right website. It took me to the Jim Henson’s site. You know the creator of the Muppets. I went back to Google and added the word “Almonte” to the search engine request and then found the right website! I was amazed at all that it offered, both for adults and kids. According to their website, “Puppets Up! is a two-day international festival devoted to the art of puppetry and the creation of fun!”. The international part of the festival looks like an International Puppetry summit. There are performers from Georgia, British Columbia, Iceland, Ontario, Maine, United Kingdom and Quebec! The fun part just seems to go on and on and it’s located throughout Almonte, from “the tent and theatre venues along the Mississippi River” to “the streets of this old town” There is a lot of Puppet Production happening throughout the festival. You can make your own Puppet!. There’s a Puppet Parade! The streets will be filled with Puppet Performers and, lots of stories will be told! There’s even a “Puppet Jam – For Adults Only!” It’s all happening on August 8^th and 9^th in Almonte. To find out more about this wonderful festival, go to their website at http://puppetsup.ca. It’s going to be fun for the whole family. Hope to see you there!

Best Kept Secret…

One of the “best kept secrets” is about to blossom on the weekend of July 31 – August 2nd, 2009. The “secret” is the Mill Race Festival and it is held each year in downtown Cambridge. It’s not really a secret, especially to the residents of Cambridge and area and to the lovers of great music! This is a festival that has been entertaining visitor for 16 years! This year marks their 17th anniversary! The Mill Race Festival offers a whole weekend of “Traditional Folk Music”! 2009 performers include: Alfie Smith, Alistair Brown, Bette and Wallet, the Brian Pickell Band, Sheesham and Lotus, the Swamp Ward Orchestra and Tanglefoot! This just to name a few! This is an event for the whole family! As described on their website, “The festival is patterned after European festivals whereby the day’s events are held on numerous outdoor stages in the town core. Traditional forms of folk music and dance are the festivals’ theme with emphasis placed upon the various cultures present in Cambridge and the surrounding area.” In addition to the music and dance, there are arts and crafts, a children’s stage and plenty of food and refreshments. I know that Judi and I are looking forward to visiting Cambridge and the Mill Race Festival on Saturday, August 1st. I hope that we will see you there. I’ll be the one with a big smile on my face and tapping my foot to the music! If you’d like to find out more about this “secret” Festival, visit their website at http://www.millracefolksociety.com/festival.htm.

The Swale…

Off in the distance we could see a Great Blue Heron searching for food along the banks of the reed covered shoreline! Quiet beauty surrounded us! This was nature at its best! Who would have guessed that we were in the middle of the historic town of Smiths Falls! This was Friday afternoon, and we were in town to help celebrate the opening of the Smiths Falls’ annual Canal, Railway and Chocolate Festival. One of the many featured attractions was the Voyageur Canoe Tour. Festival Chair, Jim MacPherson, had arranged for Judi and me to join others on the Voyageur Canoe tour of the Rideau Canal and The Swale! What an opportunity! We left the docks at Centennial Park and traveled a short distance up the Rideau Canal to the canal lock. Once inside the lock, the lockmaster shut the gates and started to let water into the lock. We slowly rose until we were even with the water above. Leaving the confines of the lock, we paddled to a large open body of water. This was The Swale, a class 1 wetland “situated right in the backyard of Smiths Falls”! A natural wonderland that is full of birds, flora and fauna. We paddled along the shoreline examining the plant and animal life as we glided along. Everywhere we looked there was something new to investigate! Our steersman acted as our guide to this exciting journey, telling us about The Swale and the history of the Voyageur Canoe pioneers who had preceded us. At one point, close to the shore, our guide spotted a discarded pail. Rather than just pass it by, he asked us to stop paddling and then to back stroke so that he could retrieve it. Once it was safely in the canoe, we continued paddling. We were all impressed with this simple act of stewardship. All too soon we rounded a bend and we were back in civilization! Our journey back in time was almost at an end. I think everyone in the canoe was sad to see the lock appear! This was certainly an adventure to remember. As we reached the dock at Centennial Park, I wondered how many Smiths Falls residents had explored The Swale! Fortunately, there is still time this year. The Rideau Roundtable Voyageur Canoe Tours are available from May 24 to Thanksgiving. To find out more, visit their website at http://www.rideauroundtable.ca/voyageur.html. If you are ever in the area, make sure you explore the Rideau Canal by Voyageur Canoe!

Photo #1 - Voyageur Canoe: Photo #2 - Entering the Rideau Canal lock

Photo #3 - The Swale; Photo #4 - Great Blue Heron

Photo #5 - Lily pads; Photo #6 - Lots of shoreline vegetation

Kempenfest…

The long beautiful shoreline of Kempenfelt Bay becomes alive from July 31 to August 3, 2009! This is where and when Barrie hosts Kempenfest! If you have never been to this festival, you have missed a lot! This is definitely one of the premier events in Ontario! Kempenfest offers something for the whole family. First there is the Arts and Crafts Show with over 375 wonderful artists and artisans participating. Then there are the 40 Antique Dealers with their fascinating array of antique and historical artifacts. There are 3 entertainment venues featuring Kim Mitchell, The FabFour, The Wilkinsons, The Martels and so much more! There’s a huge kids’ area that even adults can’t resist and a Midway that the whole family can enjoy! If you are hungry or need a refreshing drink, there are lots of food vendors placed conveniently throughout the festival grounds! And then, if you need a break from the festival, or just want to cool down, Kempenfelt Bay on Lake Simcoe is there to help you. Kempenfelt Bay runs parallel to the festival grounds and has a great beach to walk along. It is no wonder that Kempenfest is one of Ontario’s top 100 2009 festivals as chosen by Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO). It is also one Judi’s and my top 10 festivals visited! If you want to find out more about this terrific festival visited their website at http://www.kempenfest.com or read our article at Kempenfest Visited.

Living History…

On July 1^st of this year our 15 year old nephew became a soldier! No, he did not join the Canadian Armed Forces! He did, however, join his fellow students and their history teacher in a re-enactment demonstration at the Cobourg Waterfront Festival. Seeing him and the other young people becoming involved in re-enacting Canada’s past made me think of the thousands of men and women and their families who dawn period costumes each summer and fall weekend to become “living history”! As David Brunelle, one of the organizers of Wasaga under Siege (July 24-26), said to me, “It’s like taking your family on an ‘old fashioned’ camping trip!”, old canvas tents, open fires, boiled coffee, toasted marshmallows and spending quality time with people who have similar interests. Besides, who doesn’t want to play make believe, shoot muskets and wear neat clothing! All that being said, re-enactments and re-enactors play an important part in Canadian society. With the great number of new comers immigrating to our marvelous country, it gives them the opportunity to learn about Canada’s history and why it is such a great country to live in. Re-enactments also help show how Canada and the United States became separate countries and how we eventually learned to live in peace together. Even if you are not a history buff, re-enactments are exciting and entertaining! The pageantry, colour and action all add up to a wonderful experience! Whether or not our nephew and his friends become further involved in re-enacting, at least they will have had a chance to experience “first-hand” a part of Canada’s history! My hat is off to his history teacher and all of those other adults who encourage our young people to take an active interest in living Canada’s past!

Special Feature – St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival

Every once in a while we visit an event that is so outstanding that we want to share it with others! The Festival that we attended last Saturday evening was such an event! We traveled to Prescott to visit the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival and the opening night of their play, The Taming of the Shrew. It wasn’t just the play that attracted us, it was the whole atmosphere. First there was Prescott itself. This historic, almost 200 year old town, lies on the banks of the St. Lawrence River. The United States can be clearly seen on the other side of the river. The downtown area is clean with a good variety of retail shops. Once we arrived in Prescott we were able to follow directions to the play’s venue taken from the Festival’s excellent website. At the time we arrived in Prescott, the sun was shinning brightly with few clouds in the sky. It was about 5:45 PM when we arrived at the venue. The play wasn’t scheduled to start until 7:00 PM. There weren’t many cars in the nearby parking lot. I wondered if I had come to the right place. I decided to take a walk to look around. I was at the right place! I walked to the venue’s amphitheatre. There was no one in the seats. I wondered if I had the wrong day! I had been there just a short time when someone from below shouted up and asked me if I was there for the play. I told her yes and she told me that the play had been moved to another venue do to possible thunder storms. As I said, it was a clear bright day and wondered why the change! I went back to the car and Judi and I drove to the new venue, a local church. At the church we went inside to collect our tickets. Our greeting was instantaneous and very friendly. The people at the ticket desk explained the reasons for the change and then asked us to wait outside until the “stage” door opened. Outside others were also waiting. The conversations were full of excitement and anticipation. Once the doors were open, we found seats at the front of the church. I am telling you all this because I want you to understand how well prepared the Festival organizers were and how we were made welcome. Several people spoke to us as though we were long lost friends. Nothing seemed forced or contrived! Prescott’s Mayor, Suzanne Dodge sat behind us. We had a great conversation with Suzanne and her friends before the play started. You could hear the pride in her voice as she told us about Prescott and its citizens. She also told us about some of the plans that were being made for their 200th anniversary that takes place next year. She also made it a point to invite us to the play’s Gala that was taking place after the play at the Town Hall. The play and its performers were beyond excellent, especially considering that this was opening night and it was the first time they had performed the play at this venue. The Gala afterwards was the icing on the cake! It was bright and friendly with lots of food, music and drinks on hand! Even the congratulatory speeches added to the special charm of the evening! All things added together, the picturesque town, its warm citizens, the well organized Festival committee, the professional and accomplished actors and the decision to move the play (halfway through the play severe thunder storms hit the area) to an inside venue, made this an event to talk about! The Festival continues until August 15th, 2009. There are two main plays being staged, The Taming of the Shrew and Measure for Measure. If you are traveling east in Ontario, make sure you put Prescott and the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival on your schedule. You will be glad you did! Check out the Festival’s website at http://www.stlawrenceshakespeare.ca/home.aspx and, if you want to find out more about Prescott, visit their website at http://www.prescott.ca/.

Bayside Boutique and Gallery

Bayside Boutique and Gallery are a fixture in the Buckhorn area. This is the second and final part of an article written about this picturesque boutique and gallery and the wonderful family that owns it.

The other artists I mentioned will also visiting the gallery for their own show. Carl Brenders will be there on October 11 from 12pm to 5pm. His new works, “Snow Leopard” and “Talk on Old Fence” will be ready by then. Anyone who wants to purchase a print and have it held until Carl comes to town is most welcome to do so. It will be a great opportunity to have your copy personalized! Johannus Boots will also be having his own show, but dates haven’t been confirm yet. As you can see, the Clarkson’s are very busy people. Pete still tries to go fishing in his boat when he can, but living in paradise can have its challenges. I guess that is why the Gallery has been so successful over the years. Daughter Lesley has now joined the business and is “minding the store” full time. If you are ever in the Buckhorn area your should make it a point to visit Gallery. Fresh Timothy’s Specialty Coffee is always available and who knows, you might see a painting that would fit nicely on one of your walls or a special piece of collectible giftware that would be perfect for you or a loved one.

In the meantime, the whole family is heavily involved in the community of Buckhorn. Pete is chair of the volunteer police department and a board of the Buckhorn District Tourist Association. Janet is the councillor-at-large for the Township of Galway-Cavendish and Harvey and involved in all aspects of the community. And Leslie, well besides minding the store, she is head fundraiser for the community’s newest project, a year-round sports complex! I understand that Pete is chairing this committee too (and I thought I was busy!) Leslie has been able to have James Lumbers donate a limited edition print, “A Game of Checkers” for the cause! And Janet, well, I am sure she is involved somehow! Construction of the project is scheduled to start in August (after the Buckhorn Fine Art Festival and the Bayside Boutique Summer Art Show) and to be finished by the time the “snow flies” Local kids do need their skating rink!

If you want to find out more about the Clarkson’s and their Bayside Boutique and Gallery, go to http://www.baysideboutique.com/.

By the way, if you want to talk with Pete, you’ll likely find him on Thursday nights in the summer at the Buckhorn Community Centre. That’s where they hold “Cruise Night”!

Mixing It Up…

The Canal, Railway and Chocolate Festival is only a week away and a BIG question has now entered my mind! "Do chocolate and water mix?" Frankly, I’m not sure of the correct answer. However, I think I am going to find this coming Friday when Judi and I go to the fun filled opening day of the Smiths Falls' Canal, Railway and Chocolate Festival. It all starts with a trip on the Rideau Canal in one of those gigantic Voyageur Canoes. I’ve been told by organizer Jim MacPherson that we were going to see things on the canal that most people don’t get a chance to see! I’m just hoping that it’s not me in the water looking at the underside of the canoe! After our trip on the Rideau, it’s back to Centennial Park for the opening ceremonies. Jim Brownell MPP, Assistant to the Minister of Tourism, will be on hand to help officially open the festival. After the opening ceremonies I’ve been asked to do the unthinkable… to taste and judge the decedent chocolate contest! I mentioned this to my family doctor, he gave me “THE LOOK” and then a prescription for an extra ration of diabetes medicine! Fortunately, Judi (the chocolate monster) will be by my side and can take the overflow! I think then I will truly know the answer to my question, “Do chocolate and water mix?”. Stay tuned and I will let you know! And so my festival NOMAD friends, you can see that next Friday in Smiths Falls will be an adventure in both water and chocolate! I hope you will join Judi and me at the Canal, Railway and Chocolate Festival! Perhaps you too could help me with the chocolate “overflow”! To find out more about these great fun filled festival, check out their website at http://www.canalrailwayfest.com/index.php.

Bayside Boutique and Gallery

Bayside Boutique and Gallery are a fixture in the Buckhorn area. This is the first part of an article written about this picturesque boutique and gallery and the wonderful family that owns it.

I am standing in a room surrounded by wonderful original art. Beside me is my longtime friend, floral artist Mary Kendrick. Outside the room’s windows I can see the sun dancing over the wave of a lake as they roll onto the shore! No, it’s not a dream! It’s a dream-like setting for anyone, but it’s the home and art gallery of Janet and Pete Clarkson! The room I am standing in is the back room of the Bayside Boutique and Gallery. The art is by Mary Kendrick and Colebrook Keirstead. The lake is Upper Buckhorn Lake and we are about a 15 minutes drive from the Village of Buckhorn. I am there to visit the gallery’s Summer Art Show which is held each August. The show features such artists as James Lumbers, Douglas Laird and, of course, Mary Kendrick and Colebrook Keirstead. This is not the first time we have enjoyed this wonderful boutique and gallery. However, every time we do, we marvel at the gorgeous setting and the tremendous art! In addition to the four artists mentioned previously, the gallery also features the art of Michael Dumas, Trevor Tennant, Johannus Boots and internationally renowned wildlife artist, Carl Brenders! Both Michael and Trevor have had their shows at the Gallery, but the others are still to come. You can come, meet and talk with Mary, Colebrook, Doug and James the weekend of August 14-16, 2009. Both Mary Kendrick and Colebrook Keirstead will be there the whole weekend (from 10am – 5pm daily) while James Lumbers will be there Saturday, August 15 (from 12pm – 5pm) and Douglas Laird on Sunday, August 16 (from 12pm – 5pm). I know that Judi and I will be traveling north on Friday, August 14 to visit Mary and Colebrook! Refreshments will be served!

Sunset Cruises – Captain Randy Potts (Part Two)

"It's summertime and time to cruise the Muskoka Lakes. This is the second and final part of an article about just that, cruising the Muskoka Lakes with Captain Randy Potts and his restored 1920's yacht, the M.V. Idyllwood."

So here I was, standing on the bare deck of the Peerless II, as Randy described what he had already done, what was left to do and what it was going to be like when he was finished. Back on the Idyllwood, Randy showed me photographs of the restoration so far. As I said before, I couldn’t believe my own eyes! The work that had been done was incredible, and to think Randy was working alone during most of the restoration!

At that point last year, Randy had hoped that the restorations would be far enough along in the fall of 2009 that he would be able to take the restored Peerless II on its maiden voyage. However, time and circumstances have delayed the launch date. The fall of 2010 is now the planned launch target. I have already registered my name as a passenger on the maiden cruise. It should be quite the experience! If you like cruising the Muskoka Lakes and want to be part of history, I would suggest you put your name on the waiting list! I am sure space will be limited!

In the meantime, the summer is now upon us and the M.V. Idyllwood and its Captain, Randy Potts, are ready to go! So, if you want to see and learn more about Muskoka and the Muskoka Lakes, don’t miss a cruise on the Idyllwood! Randy knows more stories about the lakes then anyone I know and he is glad to share them with his passengers! Rain or shine, cool or warm, the Idyllwood is equipped to handle all climates! Well, perhaps not ice or snow! Find out more about Captain Randy, his boats and the 2009 cruising schedule by visiting the Sunset Cruises website at http://www.sunsetcruises.ca/pages/about.html.

Photos #1 & #2 - Peerless II on Drydock

Sunset Cruises – Captain Randy Potts

It's summertime and time to cruise the Muskoka Lakes. This is the first part of an article about just that, cruising the Muskoka Lakes with Captain Randy Potts and his restored 1920's yacht, the M.V. Idyllwood.

I would not have believed if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes! One day last spring I drove to Bracebridge to meet Captain Randy Potts. Randy owns Sunset Cruises and the M.V. Idyllwood. The Idyllwood is a 40 foot 1920’s era yacht that was faithfully restored by Randy. He has the photographs and memories to prove it! It took Potts several years to complete the restoration, but the end result is a boat that any owner would be proud of! The Idyllwood, under the capable hands of Captain Randy cruises the Muskoka Lakes. Don’t let his youthful looks deceive you, he has been a licensed Captain for over 20 years and has been at the helm of some mighty impressive ships, including the famous R.M.S. Segwun. The Idyllwood accommodates 12 guests in refined luxury. When I traveled all the way to Bracebridge, I did want to see the M.V. Idyllwood, but, frankly I was more interested in Randy’s latest restoration project, the Peerless II. For 49 years the Peerless II roamed the Muskoka Lakes delivering gasoline and home heating fuel to the cottagers and residents of the lakes. In 1994 the Peerless II was taken out of service and sold to become a private vessel. Then in September of 2003, Captain Randy Potts and Sunset Cruises purchased the Peerless II. You would have thought that Potts’ experiences of restoring the Idyllwood would have made him think twice about taking on a project of this magnitude, but obviously that was not the case!

Photo #1 - Captain Randy Potts Photo #2 - M.V. Idyllwood